Leaping Rainbow Trout Trucker Hat

Out of the water, eye on the fly.

A leaping rainbow trout and a straw gold fly over a slate blue and white splash, in a realistic style, for days on the water.

A rainbow trout leaps clear of a white splash, nose to nose with a bristling golden fly. Olive gold, rose pink and cream colour the fish, with slate blue and white in the water below.

Rainbow trout mid-leap from white water
Rose pink stripe on olive gold
Straw gold fly fibers bursting outward
Slate blue splash with white spray
Fine black spots and fin rays

The cap

One design, four caps. The front panel is what the paint or the dye sits on, so it changes the hat.

Trucker
The house cap — structured mid profile, foam-and-mesh back, snapback.
Specs
Profile
Mid profile
Build
6-panel · Structured — buckram behind the front
Crown
3½ in (8.9 cm)
Visor
Pre-curved, 2¾ in (7 cm)
Closure
Snapback
Adjusts to
21½–24 in (54.5–61 cm)
Airbrushed on
Natural cotton twill
Sublimated on
White polyester foam
Rope cap
Structured five-panel with a near-flat brim and a cord across it.
Specs
Profile
Mid-high profile
Build
5-panel · Structured
Crown
4 in (10.2 cm)
Visor
Near-flat, 2⅞ in (7.3 cm), contrast rope
Closure
Snapback
Adjusts to
21½–23¾ in (54.5–60.5 cm)
Airbrushed on
Stone cotton twill
Sublimated on
White polyester twill
Dad hat
Soft, low and unstructured — washed cotton with a strap back.
Specs
Profile
Low profile
Build
6-panel · Unstructured — soft front
Crown
3¼ in (8.3 cm)
Visor
Curved, 2¾ in (7 cm)
Closure
Strap back, brass buckle
Adjusts to
21–23½ in (53.5–59.5 cm)
Airbrushed on
Washed khaki cotton
Sublimated on
White polyester twill
Five-panel camp
Flat brim, low crown, packs flat in a vest pocket.
Specs
Profile
Low profile
Build
5-panel · Unstructured
Crown
3¼ in (8.3 cm)
Visor
Flat, 2½ in (6.4 cm)
Closure
Strap back, side-release clip
Adjusts to
21½–23½ in (54.5–59.5 cm)
Airbrushed on
Field olive nylon-cotton
Sublimated on
White polyester

Fit

A cloth tape measure around the crown of a blank cap

Cap	Profile	Crown height	Visor	Adjusts to
Trucker	Mid profile	3½ in (8.9 cm)	Pre-curved, 2¾ in (7 cm)	21½–24 in (54.5–61 cm)
Rope cap	Mid-high profile	4 in (10.2 cm)	Near-flat, 2⅞ in (7.3 cm), contrast rope	21½–23¾ in (54.5–60.5 cm)
Dad hat	Low profile	3¼ in (8.3 cm)	Curved, 2¾ in (7 cm)	21–23½ in (53.5–59.5 cm)
Five-panel camp	Low profile	3¼ in (8.3 cm)	Flat, 2½ in (6.4 cm)	21½–23½ in (54.5–59.5 cm)

One size per cap. Run a tape around your head just above the ears, keeping it level — anything inside the range above will close on it.

Two finishes

The same design, made two ways. Pick one in the panel; the cap and the quantity are yours to choose too.

Hand airbrushed
$85 for one hat, on a trucker
Painted to order — would ship in about 2 weeks
How it is made
How it is made
Sprayed by hand through this design's own stencils, one layer at a time, each left to dry before the next mask goes down.
How it looks
Soft gradients and hand-cut stencil edges. Every cap is a little different.
What it sits on
On a natural cotton twill front.
Durability and care
Water-based paint, heat set and sealed. It takes rain and a season on a boat; spot clean with cool water, never a washing machine.
Sublimation printed
$32 for one hat, on a trucker
Printed to order — would ship in 5–7 business days
How it is made
How it is made
The design is printed in dye onto transfer paper, then pressed with heat so the dye soaks into the polyester fibres.
How it looks
Full colour edge to edge, and identical every time.
What it sits on
On a white polyester foam front — sublimation only takes on white polyester.
Durability and care
The dye is in the fibre, not on it, so it will not crack or peel. Gentle wash, air dry.

The artwork

A rainbow trout arcs up out of the river, its rose pink stripe catching the light. Black spots freckle the olive gold back. A fly with straw gold fibers and a tan, segmented body hangs right at its nose, and white spray flies everywhere.

Wear it to the put-in, the fly shop or the tailgate after. From across a parking lot people see the pink flash and the burst of white. Up close they find the spots, the fin rays and the fly.

Soft masking on the rose pink stripe matters most. Lift the mask edge slightly so the pink melts into olive gold above and cream below, the way a real flank blushes.

What arrives

The hat
A care card
On a hand airbrushed hat, a numbered tag naming the water it was painted from, when the design names one

A cap being spot-cleaned with a soft brush

Looking after it

Hand airbrushed

Spot clean with cool water and a soft brush. Never a washing machine.
Keep it out of a hot car for long stretches — heat-set paint is tough, but a dashboard in July is not a test worth running.
Reshape the brim by hand while damp.

Sublimation printed

Spot clean, or gently hand wash in cool water. No bleach.
Air dry. Do not iron the print.
Reshape the brim by hand while damp.
The dye is in the fibre, so the print will not crack or peel.

Details

Airbrush palette

Colours: slate blue, olive gold, rose pink, cream, straw gold, tan, jet black, white

Details

Category: Leaping Rainbow
Subject: rainbow trout
Style: realistic wildlife illustration

Make it yourself

A hat-painting bench with a blank cap, stencils and an airbrush

IntermediateAbout 4 hours at the bench, plus curing8 layersYou'll need an airbrush, a cap jig and 8 colours

The palette

Slate blue
Olive gold
Rose pink
Cream
Straw gold
Tan
Jet black
White

The layers

8 layers, in this order. Each mask comes off and the paint has to dry before the next one goes down.

Splash base
Body base
Side stripe
Belly
Fly fibers
Fly body
Spots and lines
Spray

The kit's stencil set is cut from these layers; with the cutter (12 hats and up) you cut your own from this design's layer files.

How to mix each colour

Slate blue
White with blue and a touch of black, about 4 : 1 : ½
Olive gold
2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Rose pink
1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
Cream
White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
Straw gold
3 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a touch of white so it stays opaque
Tan
3 parts white, 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown
Jet black
Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
White
Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one

Setup

Ventilation or a spray booth. Water-based paint still throws a fine mist, and you will be breathing it for hours.
A half-mask respirator rated for paint mists. A dust mask is not one.
A compressor with a moisture trap, set and tested on a card before you start: wet air spits water into the paint.
Reducer and a cleaning pot within reach, so a clog is a ten-second fix instead of a ruined panel.
Spray a test card for every colour before it touches the cap. Colour reads differently wet, dry and on twill.

Prep

Lint-roll the front panel. Every fibre left on it prints as a speck in the paint.
Mask the mesh, any seams you want clean and the whole visor, underside included, with low-tack tape and paper.
Stretch the crown over the cap jig so the front panel is taut and curved the way it will be worn. Spraying a slack panel flat distorts the design when it is worn.
Spray one light coat of transparent base so the colour sits on the fabric instead of soaking into it.

Layer by layer

1 · Splash base — 0.5 mm · 25–30 PSI
slate blue — the curl of water under the fish and its shadowed troughs
Mask None on the panel itself: the mesh and the visor are already masked from the prep.
Colour Slate blue — White with blue and a touch of black, about 4 : 1 : ½
Needle
0.5 mm (a 0.35 mm works, it just takes longer)
Pressure
25–30 PSI
Distance
6–8 in from the panel
Passes
3–4 light passes, building the colour
Dry
10 minutes, or 60–90 seconds with a heat gun on low, before the next mask goes down
Tip Fade wet to dry and never lay one heavy coat: twill wicks paint sideways and the edge blooms.
2 · Body base — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
olive gold — the back, tail and fins of the trout
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Olive gold — 2 parts yellow, 1 part black, a drop of red to warm it
Needle
0.35 mm
Pressure
20–25 PSI
Distance
4–6 in from the panel
Passes
2–3 passes
Dry
10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
3 · Side stripe — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
rose pink — the band along the flank and the gill plate
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Rose pink — 1 part red to 4 parts white, a drop of blue if it looks salmon
Needle
0.35 mm
Pressure
20–25 PSI
Distance
4–6 in from the panel
Passes
2–3 passes
Dry
10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
4 · Belly — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
cream — the pale underside and the soft fin edges
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Cream — White with a drop of yellow and the smallest touch of brown
Needle
0.35 mm
Pressure
20–25 PSI
Distance
4–6 in from the panel
Passes
2–3 passes
Dry
10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
5 · Fly fibers — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
straw gold — the spiky bursts of fibers on both sides of the fish
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Straw gold — 3 parts yellow, 1 part brown, a touch of white so it stays opaque
Needle
0.35 mm
Pressure
20–25 PSI
Distance
4–6 in from the panel
Passes
2–3 passes
Dry
10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
6 · Fly body — 0.35 mm · 20–25 PSI
tan — the segmented cone body of the fly at the trout's nose
Mask Lay this layer's mylar stencil and burnish the edges flat with your thumbnail.
Colour Tan — 3 parts white, 2 parts yellow, 1 part brown
Needle
0.35 mm
Pressure
20–25 PSI
Distance
4–6 in from the panel
Passes
2–3 passes
Dry
10 minutes before lifting the stencil
Tip Spray away from the stencil edge, not into it, so the air does not push paint underneath.
7 · Spots and lines — 0.3 mm · 18–22 PSI
jet black — trout spots, eye, fin rays and fly segment lines
Mask The hand-cut subject stencil, inner pieces first, then the outline piece.
Colour Jet black — Black from the bottle, sprayed in light passes; a heavy coat bleeds
Needle
0.3 mm
Pressure
18–22 PSI
Distance
3–4 in from the panel
Passes
2–3 passes per tone, light to dark
Dry
10 minutes between tones
Tip Light tones first: a light colour over a dark one needs many coats, a dark one over a light one needs two.
8 · Spray — 0.2–0.3 mm · 12–15 PSI
white — splash droplets, foam crests and highlights on the fish
Mask None: freehand, with a shield card held against any hard edge.
Colour White — Opaque white from the bottle; two thin coats cover better than one thick one
Needle
0.2–0.3 mm
Pressure
12–15 PSI
Distance
1–2 in from the panel
Passes
Freehand, in short controlled strokes
Dry
10 minutes, then check it before you cure
Tip Low pressure, close in and moving: stop the stroke before you release the trigger.

Step by step

Cut all eight masks from the recipe and dry-fit them on the panel. These settings are a starting point: tune them on a scrap first.
Splash mask, slate blue, 20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm away. Build the dark troughs under the fish in light passes.
Trout body mask, olive gold, 20 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 10 cm. Cover back, tail and fins evenly, heavier along the spine.
Stripe mask lifted slightly at the edges, rose pink, 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm. Keep it soft so it fades into the olive gold.
Belly mask, cream, 18 PSI, 0.3 mm needle, 8 cm. Fill the underside and feather the fin edges.
Fiber mask, straw gold, 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm. Flick quick strokes outward from the fly to make the spiky bursts.
Fly body mask, tan, 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm. Shade the lower side of each segment a touch darker.
Detail mask, jet black, 12 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 3 cm. Dot the spots, then trace the eye, fin rays and fly segment lines.
Spray mask, white, 15 PSI, 0.2 mm needle, 5 cm, then drop the pressure to about 8 PSI for a light speckle of droplets around the splash.
Pull the final mask and add a small white highlight to the eye and the top of the back freehand.
Let the paint cure 24 hours at room temperature, then heat-set if your paint calls for it.
Seal with two thin coats of a matte fabric-safe topcoat, 15 minutes apart.

Cure

Heat set at 300°F / 150°C. Water-based textile paint is not wash-fast until it is heat set.
Cap press: 3–5 minutes with a teflon sheet over the design.
Or heat gun: 2–3 minutes per panel, keeping it moving 2–3 in off the fabric so it does not scorch.
If you have neither, air cure for 72 hours before the cap touches water.

Seal

Two light coats of matte fabric sealer, UV-resistant, from 8–10 in, 15 minutes apart.
Leave it 24 hours before the cap is worn.
Never a gloss sealer on cotton twill: it shines, cracks along the creases and looks like a sticker.

Clean-up

Flush the brush with water, then airbrush cleaner, until it sprays clear.
Strip the needle and wipe it toward the tip, never away from it.
Never soak the brush body overnight.

Common mistakes

A hard-edged pink stripe looks painted on. Lift the mask edge a few millimetres so the colour blurs.
Too much white swallows the fish. Keep the spray below and around the body, never across the eye.
Black spots bunched in rows look fake. Scatter them, denser on the back and thinner near the belly.
Sealing before the paint cures traps tack. Wait the full 24 hours.

Tips

Spray the slate blue troughs before any white so the foam has something dark to sit on.
Vary the length of the straw gold strokes. Even fibers look stiff; uneven ones look alive.
Place a few black spots on the tail and fins too, smaller than the ones on the back.
Test the low-pressure white speckle on paper first to get the droplet size right.

An airbrush, compressor, moisture trap, six colour bottles and a cleaning pot. — The kit

Every kit size

Trucker · kit for 1 hat

$229

Bought separately $255 · you save $26

Includes Starter airbrush set · Cap jig · and 7 more

Every item in this kit · 9 items

Blanks

Trucker blank, natural cotton twill front$91

Stencils

Pre-cut mylar stencil set for this design — 8 layers$181

Paint & masks

Water-based textile airbrush colour, 2 oz — one per colour in this design$482 oz × 8
Transparent base and reducer, 4 oz$71
Low-tack masking film and ¼ in tape$81
Matte fabric sealer, 4 oz$121

Equipment

Starter airbrush set — 0.3 mm dual-action gravity brush, mini compressor, braided hose$1291
Cap jig — holds the crown taut while you spray$241

Guide

Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded1

Trucker · kit for 12 hats

$1,085

$90.42 a hat

Bought separately $1,234 · you save $149

Includes Dual-action gravity-feed airbrush · Quiet compressor with tank and moisture trap · Cap jig and two spare crown forms · Tabletop spray booth with exhaust fan · and 11 more

Every item in this kit · 15 items

Blanks

Trucker blank, natural cotton twill front$7812

Stencils

Desktop stencil cutter, 12 in — the "stencil printer": cuts mylar from this design's layer files$2991
Stencil mylar, 7 mil, 12 × 12 in$2210 sheets
This design's layer files, every layer (SVG)Included1

Paint & masks

Water-based textile airbrush colour, 4 oz — one per colour in this design$1124 oz × 8
Transparent base and reducer, 16 oz$161
Low-tack masking film$181 roll
Matte fabric sealer, 16 oz$281

Equipment

Dual-action gravity-feed airbrush, 0.3 mm$1351
Quiet compressor with tank and moisture trap$1791
Cap jig and two spare crown forms$641
Tabletop spray booth with exhaust fan$1491
Cleaning pot, brushes and a half-mask respirator$991
Heat gun for curing$351

Guide

Printed step-by-step guide for this designIncluded1

Trucker · kit for 12 × 12 hats

$3,165

$21.98 a hat

Bought separately $3,724 · you save $559

Includes Two dual-action gravity-feed airbrushes · Production airbrush · Twin-piston compressor with tank and two regulators · Production spray booth · and 13 more

Every item in this kit · 17 items

Blanks

Trucker blank, natural cotton twill front$756144

Stencils

Stencil cutter-plotter, 24 in — the production "stencil printer"$6491
Stencil mylar, 7 mil, 12 × 12 in$8550 sheets
This design's layer files, every layer (SVG)Included1

Paint & masks

Water-based textile airbrush colour, 32 oz — one per colour in this design$38432 oz × 8
Transparent base and reducer$491 gal
Low-tack masking film$543 rolls
Matte fabric sealer$891 gal

Equipment